Meritus are working with a leading business in the Space Sector for the recruitment of a Project Manager for an initial 6 month engagement which is likely to be extended for an additional 6 months.
PROJECT MANAGER - SPACE SECTOR - £400 to £500 per day OUTSIDE IR35 - MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE IN THE SPACE SECTOR TO BE CONSIDERED - HYBRID IN GUILDFORD
What You’ll Be Doing
Your role will span the full lifecycle of satellite missions, including both space and ground segments:
- Leading projects or major elements of programmes from contract kick-off through development, launch, commissioning, and operational handover
- Owning project delivery from start to finish, using SSTL’s structured processes, managing plans, schedules, risk registers, deliverables, technical milestones, and cost tracking (including earned value and risk exposure)
- Day-to-day leadership of cross-functional project teams, ensuring alignment with scope, schedule, and budget
- Structuring project delivery into work packages, securing appropriate engineering resources, and keeping progress tightly aligned to plan
- Acting as the main point of contact for customers and internal teams including Engineering, Commercial, Project Accounting, and senior leadership
- Managing all key project reviews, defining clear objectives, success criteria, and ensuring customer milestones are achieved
- Identifying and mitigating project risks, with clear actions owned and tracked across work packages
- Overseeing project finances to maintain budget alignment, including contingency planning, profit tracking, and financial forecasting
- Supporting business development through cost modelling and inputs to bids, including risk assessments, delivery strategy, and customer interaction
- Working closely with Bid Managers to scope and shape programme deliverables for new contracts
What You’ll Bring
Experience
- Proven track record of delivering complex technical projects, ideally within space, aerospace, or a high-tech engineering sector
- Strong understanding of project set-up, execution, and closure processes
- Experienced in managing external customers and internal stakeholders across all levels
- Familiarity with matrix organisations and work package-based delivery
- Commercially aware, with experience managing contracts and supplier performance
Qualifications, Skills & Behaviours
- A degree (or equivalent experience) in engineering, physics, or another technical field preferred
- Effective leadership skills, you can energise and align teams to deliver under pressure
- Clear communicator and confident influencer, both written and verbal, at all business levels
- Organised and highly self-motivated with the ability to prioritise and adapt quickly
- Calm and decisive under pressure, with a proactive problem-solving mindset
- Confident working with technical teams and understanding engineering risks, impacts, and trade-offs
- Ability to create and maintain detailed project plans and schedules using MS Project
- Strong commercial understanding, able to interpret contract terms into project delivery strategy
- Skilled in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project
- Comfortable working independently, taking ownership, and managing your own workload
- Demonstrates core professional behaviours: accountability, delivery focus, strong communication, team mindset, and self-management
